Rebooking ECW: Resurgence (05/15/97)

Tonight on the first LIVE episode of ECW Resurgence— WAIT! There is no time to explain, Joey Styles has already opened the show. What are you waiting for?! Hurry on in!

ECW RESURGENCE 05/15/97 (Philadelphia, PA)

1. Opening segment: Joey Styles opened up the show tonight with a few reminders and announcements. “Welcome to Extreme Championship Wrestling’s Hardcore TV… And boy, do we have a show lined up for you here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Chris Candido and two partners of his choice will confront Lance Storm and the rest of the Triple Threat stable, in a six-man elimination tag team match. Also, “Prime Time” Brian Lee takes on one half of The Eliminators, Perry Saturn. In our main event tonight, “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz takes on the living legend, your ECW Heavyweight Champion, Terry Funk!” All that and more ri–” Styles was then cut off by the playing of Raven’s theme music. Without waiting for Joey to speak, or his theme stopping, Raven snatched the microphone away and began. “No way, Joey! I refuse to sit back another second, let alone another crap-filled show… Terry Funk, your fluke victory in that cage on the twenty-second of February proved nothing other than once again, Raven was cheated by the idiots in the back. Our rematch on the twentieth of March was once again, a cheat as I won but wasn’t awarded the championship. The fact is, you’ve got people in your corner Terry, string-pullers… Period. But what about me? Huh? What about Raven? I don’t play politics, Funk… So,  tell you what, until you drag your sorry, geriatric existence out here to lose that belt back to it’s rightful owner, I’m gonna sit my ass down right here in this corner!” As a result of Raven’s threats, Todd Gordon with Paul E. and other ECW officials headed down to ringside to confront him. Gordon started the pleading, “Raven, Terry is not currently contractually obligated to give you ANOTHER rematch for the ECW Championship. However, I’m sure you, Paul, and Terry can work something out and get something down on paper for the near-future…” Then, Raven began again, ” Oh, right. So, I get it. Funk sent the back room stooges out here to tell me, in so many words, just how scared he is of me. Is that it? Listen morons, I mean what I said. I’m not going anywhere until I get my championship back.” Just then, Funk’s music hit and he rushed down to ringside with a chair. He nearly hit Raven with the chair before ECW officials stepped in and prevented the two from attacking each other. After detaining Funk and Raven, the lights cut out and Sabu made his entrance down to the ring. He climbed the turnbuckle and dived off taking out the ECW officials, Terry Funk, and Raven. Sabu was then able to chase off most of the officials with the chair Funk had brought to the ring until only he, Raven, and Funk were left. After a stare down between the three, Sabu cracked both one-by-one over the head with the chair, taunted, and exited. 

2. Perry Saturn was able to pull out a big victory over “Prime Time” Brian Lee, after hitting the rings of Saturn on his stunned opponent. The match was pretty balanced and either could have walked away the winner. After the match concluded, Lee stumbled out to ringside and threw an arm around John Kronus and began to heavily limp to the back. Kronus was reluctantly dragged to the back by a panting Brian Lee. (9:49)

3. Perry Saturn Interview: Perry Saturn is just coming through the curtain in the back and stops to voice a few things. “Brian Lee, I don’t know what your deal is, man. I can’t tell if you have a crush on The Eliminators or your just trying to ride our coattails. I don’t know what you and Kronus are up to but I can tell you one thing, if you think you’re going to come between me and my tag team partner, you can forget it. Keep it up, “Primetime”. Your ass will get TOTALLY ELIMINATED!” After making his statement, Saturn turned and marched away in possible pursuit of Brian Lee and John Kronus.

4. Commercial break + Reminder that ECW Hostile City Showdown is THIS SATURDAY from the ECW Arena, Philadelphia, PA!

5. Chris Candido & The Pitbulls defeated the Triple Threat (Douglas, Storm, Awesome) after Candido was able to pin his former friend and stable mate, Lance Storm. Prior to the match and after Candido made his entrance, the Triple Threat blindsided him forcing the Pitbulls to reveal themselves as Candido’s chosen partners as they rushed down to ringside. A rushed and unprepared start to this elimination tag match proved to be almost too much for Candido and the Pitbulls to recover from. To say that all the men involved in this match took a  healthy beating would be an understatement. Awesome would be the first man eliminated after the Pitbulls put him away with a superbomb from the top turnbuckle. Eliminated but refusing to leave, Awesome prowled on the outside punishing anybody who exited the ring that was on the opposing team. The Pitbulls were eliminated in rapid succession nearly one right after the other complements of “The Franchise”. Once gone, they would forcefully take Awesome to the back with them. Storm and Candido battled almost exclusively until it became a two on one assault. In a sudden instant of confusion Lance Storm would hit a super kick on Shane Douglas and Candido would capitalize by dumping Storm over the top rope and pinning a stunned Douglas. After a final burst of energy from both men, Candido was able to score the decisive fall for himself and The Pitbulls. (21:50)

6. Commercial break + A graphic is presented with the ECW Extreme Hotline information displayed.

7. Lance Storm interview: Storm is seen sitting on a steel folding chair Triple Threat’s locker room with his fellow members in the background discussing their loss among each other. Storm looks angry and focused. “Christopher Candido. Come Hell or high water, I will be the man that beats you for your ECW Television Championship. Tonight was only a simple delay and a very minor set back for the Triple Threat and I. This Sunday, two days away at ECW Hostile City Showdown, our former friendship and your reign as Television Champion both come to a dead end. Enjoy your victory tonight, as it will be short lived…” Storm ends the interview by standing up and moving away from the camera.

8. Danny Doring defeated Mikey Whipwreck, Chris Chetti and Stevie Richards in a fatal four way contest with one fall rules in place. Marking tonight, Danny Doring has had two matches in Extreme Championship Wrestling with two solid winning efforts in both. The contest was pretty even, with all four men fighting pretty evenly. No one dominated the match, making this one a fun toss up. Mikey and Chetti kept their distance from one another as friends and fought more of the other two men than each other. Doring would pick up the win over Mikey when Chetti and Richards became preoccupied with each other outside the ring. Doring motioned to the camera that he was now two and zero! (12:55)

7. Rick Rude Segment: Rick Rude would enter the ECW Arena in a suit and tie, holding a microphone. After the fans settled to a dull roar over the former WWF/WCW star’s appearance, Rude began. “First of all, you all need to shut your filthy little mouths. I have never seen a larger collection of gutter street trash in my entire life than I have right here, in Extreme Championship Wrestling! With that said, I came to enlighten you ignorant morons on my current situation and why exactly I’ve been showing up to events. The fact is, and shut up because you’re going to want to hear this, is that I have a client that I’ve been grooming for the big leagues far and away from ECW. That’s right! One of your very own contacted me and asked me if I’d come and help him leave the crap shoot that is ECW for the money filled, WCW and WWF. I told this man that if anybody could get him to where he wanted to be, it would be “Ravishing” Rick Rude. ME! This client of mine, once just like every other overweight slob in the ECW locker room right now, has spun one hundred and eighty degrees in the right direction thanks to me. With all this said, he has agreed to make one final ECW appearance at a time of his choice in the near future. Until then, I will be scouting the so called ‘wrestlers’ ECW has to offer, so I have a solid suggestion when my client asks me who his final ECW opponent should be. Now, hit my music. I’m outta’ here!” With that and without revealing just who his client may be Rick Rude exited the ring and the ECW Arena as fast as he appeared.

8. Commerical break + Merchandising spot for several new wrestler-specific shirts now available.

9. Raven picked up a stolen victory over Sabu in tonight’s main event as not only was the roll up pin awarded while Raven was holding Sabu’s tights, But Raven also had extra leverage holding on the middle rope unannounced to the referee. Without the unfair pinfall, Raven would have most likely ended up losing this match. Sabu had Raven scouted and nearly made him submit had Raven not slipped from the Camel Clutch, stood up and turned Sabu around to hit the Even Flow DDT and roll him up. With this victory, Raven is once again named the number one contender for Terry Funk’s ECW Heavyweight Championship. (14:30)

10. Joey Styles closes the show with a reminder for everybody to tune in this Sunday when Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hostile City Showdown live from the ECW Arena, right here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Advertised on the card is Raven versus Terry Funk for the ECW Championship, Chris Candido versus Lance Storm for the ECW Television Championship, The Pitbulls versus Spike Dudley and Roadkill for the ECW Tag Team Championships, “Prime Time” Brian Lee versus Perry Saturn and much, much more!